Just a quick post from a trip up to Rufford Abbey, where an international ceramics exhibition was being held. Not much to really see at the Abbey, but there were some interesting ceramics on offer. I really had to wonder though about the Japanese guy selling chawan bowls for 1500... pounds each!! I though the price was in yen! They were rough cast, deformed and brown, I guess trying to capture the spirit of untamed earth. But in credit crunch times, I wonder how many he sold?
Lunch there was a disaster, really feeling like something out of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. I guess the canteen doesn't get much business and this weekend just swamped them, but despite the 8 or so staff in the kitchen, no food was coming out, what did come out in terms of full breakfast combinations wasn't right, no-one was in charge and everyone was flustered. Amazing stuff to watch. Then it was on to Lincoln, which has an impressive old town with lots of "old town" charm to it, and a pleasant few hours were spent walking the streets and checking out the cathedral which is very impressive. Some endagered peregrine falcons were nesting there, and telescopes were set up by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds so get a better glimpse than just the grey blob which can be seen with the naked eye.
Getting home I went to a bbq at Dave's house (hathern band conductor), which was an experience. No aussie bbq this, with the blokes chargrilling meat and barely a bit of green salad to be found. With Lesley Bentley's involvement it was guaranteed to be extremely organised, and within a minute of arriving at the house I found myself standing in front of a salad buffet table a beer in one hand and a sausage in the other. The bbq was tended to by Stephanie mostly, though later in the night an attempt was made to restart the fire by two other english 'blokes', but with limited success. It was a good night, and quite amusing.
For more pics, click on the link below:
http://picasaweb.google.de/DrMrTerner/RuffordAbbeyLincolnCathedral?feat=directlink
